Admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies, and in many navies is the highest rank. It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM". The rank is generally thought to have originated in Sicily from a conflation of , amīr al-baḥr, "commander of the sea", with Latin admirabilis ("admirable") or admiratus ("admired"), although alternative etymologies derive the word directly from Latin, or from the Turkish military and naval rank miralay. The French version - "Amiral" without the additional "d" - tends to add evidence for the Arab origin. In the Commonwealth and the U.S., a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet (or fleet admiral). In NATO, admirals have a rank code of OF-9 as a four-star rank. Etymology The word "admiral" in Middle English comes from Anglo-French amiral, "commander", from Medieval Latin admiralis, admirallus. These themselves come from Arabic "amīr", or amīr al-'' ( ), "commander of", as in ''amīr al-baḥr ( ), "commander of the sea". The term was in use for the Greco-Arab naval leaders of Norman Sicily, which had formerly been ruled by Arabs, at least by the early 11th century. The Norman Roger II of Sicily (1095–1154), employed a Greek Christian known as George of Antioch, who previously had served as a naval commander for several North African Muslim rulers. Roger styled George in Abbasid fashion as "Amir of Amirs", i.e. "Commander of Commanders", with the title becoming Latinized in the 13th century as "ammiratus ammiratorum".Abulafia (2011). The Sicilians and later Genoese took the first two parts of the term and used them as one word, amiral, from their Aragon opponents. The French and Spanish gave their sea commanders similar titles while in Portuguese the word changed to almirante. As the word was used by people speaking Latin or Latin-based languages it gained the "d" and endured a series of different endings and spellings leading to the English spelling "admyrall" in the 14th century and to "admiral" by the 16th century. Further history The word "admiral" has today come to be almost exclusively associated with the highest naval rank in most of the world's navies, equivalent to the army rank of (full) general. However, this wasn't always the case; for example, in some European countries prior to the end of World War II, admiral was the third highest naval rank after general admiral and grand admiral. The rank of admiral has also been subdivided into various grades, several of which are historically extinct while others remain in use in most present day navies. The Royal Navy used colours (red, white, and blue, in descending order) to indicate seniority of its admirals until 1864; for example, Horatio Nelson's highest rank was vice admiral of the white. The generic term for these naval equivalents of army generals is flag officer. Some navies have also used army-type titles for them, such as the Cromwellian "general at sea". Admiral insignia by country The rank insignia for an admiral often involves four stars or similar devices and/or 3 stripes over a broad stripe, but as one can see below, there are many cases where the insignia do not involve four stars or similar devices. File:AlmiranteAra.PNG|''Almirante'' Argentine Navy File:Aus-Admiral.jpg|Admiral Royal Australian Navy File:Admiral BD Navy Insignia.gif|Admiral Bangladesh Navy File:AlmirantedeEsquadra MB.png|''Almirante-de-Esquadra'' Brazilian Navy File:Can-Admiral.jpg|Admiral Royal Canadian Navy File:PLANF-0720-GEN.png|''海军上将'' People's Liberation Army Navy File:Arlmirante armada chile.jpeg|''Almirante'' Chilean Navy File:Rukav zimske odore admirala HRM.svg|''admiral'' Croatian Navy File:Almirante_EC.jpg|''Almirante'' Ecuadorian Navy File:EgyptianNavyInsignia-Admiral-shoulderboard.svg|'فريق أول' Egyptian Navy File:Mereväeadmiral.png|''Admiral'' Estonian Navy File:Amiraali olkalaatta.svg|''Amiraali'' Finnish Navy File:Amiraali hihalaatta.svg|''Amiraali'' Finnish Navy File:Amiral France.png|''Amiral'' French Navy File:Greek-Admiral.jpg|''Návarchos'' Hellenic Navy File:Indian_Admiral.jpg|Admiral Indian Navy File:Pdu laksamanatni komando.png|''Laksamana'' Indonesian Navy File:17-IIN-Daryabod-2.png|''Daryabod'' ( ) Imperial Iranian Navy File:21-Daryabod.png| Daryabod ( ) Islamic Republic of Iran Navy File:IDF Navy Rav Aluf Prediction.png|''Rav aluf'' ( ) Israel Defense Forces File:IT-Navy-OF-10.png|''Ammiraglio'' Italian Navy File:JMSDF Admiral insignia (b).svg|''Kaishō''Chief of Joint Staff Japan Self-Defense Forcese and Chief of Staff Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force File:Laksamana insignia of Royal Malaysian Navy.png|''Laksamana'' Royal Malaysian Navy File:Almirante_hombrera_SEMAR.png|''Almirante'' Mexican Navy File:Admiral_Pakistan_Navy_Insignia.JPG|Admiral Pakistan Navy File:PN ADM WhtDr.svg|Admiral Philippine Navy File:PN ADM BlkDr-Slv.svg|Admiral Philippine Navy File:POL PMW pagon1 admirał.svg|''Admirał'' Polish Navy File:POR-Navy-OF9.svg|''Almirante'' Portuguese Navy File:RO-Navy-OF-10.png|''Amiral'' Romanian Naval Forces File:RO-Navy-OF-10s.png|''Amiral'' Romanian Naval Forces File:Russian Imperial Navy OF9 Admiral.png|''Адмиралъ'' Imperial Russian Navy File:Rus_Navy_FADM_shoulder2.png|''Адмирал'' Russian Navy pre 2010 File:RAF N F8-Admiral 2010–.png|''Адмирал'' Russian Navy post 2010 File:RAF N F8-Admiral sleeve.png|''Адмирал'' Russian Navy (sleeve) File:Almirante (Armada Española).png|''Almirante'' Armada Española File:SWE-NavyOF9.svg|''Amiral'' Royal Swedish Navy File:RTN OF-9 (Admiral).svg|''พลเรือเอก'' Royal Thai Navy File:Generic-Navy-O11.svg|File:TR-navy-OF9.gif|''Oramiral'' Turkish Navy File:Ukraine Admiral shoulderboard.svg|''Адмірал'' Ukrainian Navy File:Generic-Navy-O11.svg|Admiral Royal Navy File:British Royal Navy OF-9.svg|Admiral Royal Navy File:US Navy O10 insignia.svg|Admiral U.S. Navy File:Vietnam People's Navy Admiral.jpg|''Đô đốc'' Vietnam People's Navy National ranks Australia Canada In Canada (more specifically at Camp Minogami), an Admiral is a really Gros Gars (bench presses 200 eazzy) that doesn't take any orders from the Animateurs (especially not the Anim Commando), and who is considered as one of the Plus Beau Gosse on camp. He is usually plein aux As and wears some Supreme gear all day. Word is he loves Werner Paddles almost as much as he loves his boyzzz Germany Admiral is a German Navy OF-9 four-star flag officer rank, equivalent to the German Army and German Air Force rank of General. ;See also: Japan Post-WWII rank is Bakurocho taru kaishō or Admiral serve as Chief of Staff, Joint Staff（幕僚長たる海将） with limited function as an advisory staff to Minister of Defense (Japan), compared to Gensui (Imperial Japanese Navy) during 1872–1873 and 1898–1945,. Netherlands Russia Spain Admiral of Castile was a post with a long and important history in Spain. Sweden United Kingdom United States See also * Comparative military ranks * Laksamana, native title for naval leaders in Indonesia and Malaysia * Ranks and insignia of officers of NATO Navies * Nebraska admiral Notes References *Abulafia, David (2011) The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean. (London: Allen Lane). Admirals Category:Naval ranks